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Examples & Workflows

Comprehensive usage examples and workflow patterns for the Helm MCP Server.

🚀 Common Workflows​

Installing a Chart​

User Request:

"Install PostgreSQL from Bitnami in the database namespace"

Agent Workflow:

StepTool UsedDescription
1helm_search_chartsFind PostgreSQL chart
2helm_get_chart_infoGet chart metadata and values
3helm_validate_valuesValidate configuration
4helm_dry_run_installPreview installation
5helm_install_chartInstall the release
6helm_monitor_deploymentWatch deployment health

Upgrading a Release​

User Request:

"Upgrade my-app release to version 2.0 with increased replicas"

Agent Workflow:

StepTool UsedDescription
1helm_get_release_statusCheck current status
2helm_get_chart_infoGet new version details
3helm_validate_valuesValidate new configuration
4helm_upgrade_releasePerform upgrade
5helm_monitor_deploymentMonitor rollout

Rolling Back​

User Request:

"Rollback my-release to the previous version"

Agent Workflow:

StepTool UsedDescription
1helm://releases/{name}Get release history
2Identify revisionDetermine target revision
3helm_rollback_releaseExecute rollback
4helm_get_release_statusVerify rollback

Troubleshooting​

User Request:

"My pods are in CrashLoopBackOff after deploying redis"

Agent Workflow:

StepActionDescription
1helm_troubleshooting_guideGet troubleshooting steps
2helm_get_release_statusCheck release status
3Analyze pod logsIdentify root cause
4Suggest remediationProvide fix suggestions

📝 Example Requests​

Discovery​

"Search for nginx ingress charts"
"Find all monitoring charts in Bitnami"
"Get information about prometheus-stack"
"Show me the README for bitnami/postgresql"

Installation​

"Install redis in the cache namespace with 3 replicas"
"Deploy nginx-ingress with custom annotations"
"Install prometheus-stack with persistent storage"
"Dry-run installing ArgoCD to see what resources will be created"

Status & Monitoring​

"List all Helm releases in the production namespace"
"What's the status of my-redis release?"
"Show me the release history for postgresql"
"Monitor the nginx deployment progress"

Cluster Operations​

"What Kubernetes contexts are available?"
"Switch to the production cluster"
"List all namespaces"
"What cluster am I connected to?"

Validation​

"Validate my values for the PostgreSQL chart"
"Check dependencies for kube-prometheus-stack"
"Show me the installation plan for ArgoCD"
"Render the manifests for nginx-ingress with my values"

Guidance​

"What are the security best practices for Helm deployments?"
"Show me the complete Helm workflow guide"
"How do I troubleshoot image pull errors?"
"Guide me through upgrading my PostgreSQL release"

🔄 End-to-End Workflows​

Production Deployment Workflow​

Scenario: Deploy a new application to production with full validation.

Step 1: Discovery
"Search for bitnami/postgresql and get the latest version info"

Step 2: Planning
"Show me the installation plan for postgresql with 3 replicas"

Step 3: Validation
"Validate these values against the chart schema:
  replicaCount: 3
  persistence:
    enabled: true
    size: 50Gi"

Step 4: Preview
"Dry-run the installation to see what resources will be created"

Step 5: Deploy
"Install postgresql as my-db in the database namespace"

Step 6: Monitor
"Monitor the deployment until it's healthy"

Step 7: Verify
"Get the status of my-db release"

Upgrade with Rollback Plan​

Scenario: Safely upgrade a release with a prepared rollback plan.

Step 1: Pre-upgrade Check
"Get the current status and revision of my-app"

Step 2: Review Upgrade
"Show me what changes when upgrading to version 2.0"

Step 3: Backup
"Note the current revision number for rollback"

Step 4: Upgrade
"Upgrade my-app to version 2.0 with increased memory limits"

Step 5: Verify
"Monitor the upgrade and check for any issues"

Step 6: Rollback (if needed)
"Rollback my-app to the previous revision"

Multi-Cluster Deployment​

Scenario: Deploy same chart to multiple clusters.

Step 1: List Contexts
"What Kubernetes contexts are available?"

Step 2: Deploy to Staging
"Switch to staging context"
"Install my-app in the staging namespace"

Step 3: Verify Staging
"Get the status of my-app in staging"

Step 4: Deploy to Production
"Switch to production context"
"Install my-app in the production namespace with production values"

Step 5: Verify Production
"Get the status of my-app in production"

🛡️ Security-First Workflow​

Secure Deployment Checklist​

1. Review Security Guidelines
   "Show me the Helm security checklist"

2. Validate Chart Source
   "Get info about the chart including maintainers and source"

3. Review Values
   "Validate my values and check for security misconfigurations"

4. Render and Review
   "Render the manifests so I can review the resources"

5. Check RBAC
   "What RBAC resources will be created?"

6. Deploy with Namespace Isolation
   "Install in a dedicated namespace with network policies"

📊 Monitoring Workflow​

Continuous Health Monitoring​

1. List All Releases
   "List all Helm releases across the cluster"

2. Check Specific Release
   "Get detailed status of my-postgresql"

3. Monitor Active Deployment
   "Monitor the ongoing nginx deployment"

4. Review History
   "Show me the revision history for my-app"

5. Set Up Alerts
   "What metrics should I monitor for this release?"

💡 Tips & Best Practices​

Always Use Dry-Run First​

Before any installation or upgrade:

"Dry-run the installation first to see what will be created"

Pin Chart Versions​

For reproducible deployments:

"Install bitnami/postgresql version 12.5.0"

Use Namespaces for Isolation​

"Install redis in the cache namespace"
"Deploy monitoring stack in the observability namespace"

Validate Before Deploy​

"Validate my values before installing"
"Check dependencies are available"

Monitor After Deploy​

"Monitor the deployment until healthy"
"Get the release status after installation"

Next Steps​